Today, Michigan Families for Fair Care premiered a new ad featuring Sheila, a resident of Michigan’s 7th Congressional District, discussing how Congressman Tom Barrett’s support for tariffs is driving up grocery prices and making it harder for working families to afford the basics.
The ad, “Sheila,” highlights how Barrett backed tariffs that have raised costs on everyday necessities, from groceries to household goods, while voting for the Republican Tax Law that gave huge new tax breaks to billionaires and large corporations. Michiganders are now paying hundreds more each year just to keep food on the table, and families across the district are being forced to make difficult choices at the checkout line. Rather than fighting to lower costs for his constituents, Barrett has doubled down on the very policies driving prices up.
“Every time I go to the grocery store, I’m paying more for the same things I’ve always bought: milk, bread, fruit, pickles, the basics. Congressman Barrett supported tariffs that drove up these costs, and now we are the ones paying for it,” said Sheila, MI-07 resident. The Supreme Court said these tariffs were illegal, but Barrett hasn’t said a word about getting that money back to us. Instead, he voted for a law that handed tax breaks to billionaires while families in this district are choosing between groceries and other essential bills. Congressman Barrett, stop raising costs on Michigan families and give us our money back.”
The ad is part of a larger campaign to hold Congressman Tom Barrett accountable for his votes in Congress and his support of policies that have raised costs on working families across Michigan’s 7th Congressional District.
Transcript of "Sheila" below:
SHEILA: I was a hairdresser for over forty years. I’ve always lived on a tight budget. But with these tariffs, nearly everything costs more.
Coffee, bananas, I can’t even afford pickles anymore. Tom Barrett supports these tariffs that make my costs go through the roof. And yet, he turns around and gives tax breaks to billionaires.
It’s just wrong. The billionaires get richer, and I don’t even get a pickle.
Tom Barrett’s not looking out for me. He’s looking out for the billionaires.”
